Letters to the Editor

Posted
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 4:00 pm

No good deed goes unpunished

To the Editor:

As Catholics, we grow up with Easter as our High Holy Day. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us. In his honor, Catholics give up something each year during Lent. We are raised in the belief that it is good to give up something, especially if it can help someone else. This is a lesson that the educators at Kellenberg Memorial High School should learn.

On March 24, my nephew shaved his head to help support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. For those of you who do not know, St. Baldrick’s is the largest childhood cancer charity in the country. In the last nine years, this wonderful charity has made over $103 million in grants to help defeat this hideous disease. My nephew raised more than $2,600 this year to help out, bringing his three-year total to just over $10,700. I understand that he will continue helping out each year going forward, he is that nice.

The punishment for his good deed showed up on March 25, when he arrived at Kellenberg. He was asked to go see the dean, who gave him five demerits for his sacrifice. If you receive 10 demerits you are expelled from the school. I am searching for the message that the good teachers at the school are trying to impart on this nice young man. You have to stop and ask the question, who wants to be bald? Certainly not the young victims of childhood cancer. What would happen if a student got cancer? Would they be expelled for losing their hair?

In my opinion, it takes great inner strength and courage to do something you don’t want to do, but you do it anyway because it will help out someone else. I am glad that the 47,637 heroes that have shaved their heads this year do not or did not attend Kellenberg. Otherwise, under the threat of an unjustified punishment, childhood cancer research would be $20,690,310 poorer, and that’s just this year so far.

Instead of discouraging such brave acts by their students, the administration at Kellenberg should be holding my nephew up as an example and encouraging other students to participate. I hope they see the errors in their ways and remove the five demerits from his record.

Michael Lynch

Oceanside

No politics at the parade

To the Editor:

The St. Patrick’s Parade is a great day for the Irish: the sun is shining and it’s a great parade. The bagpipers are marching, the fire departments are all cleaned up and participating, the Irish step dancers are performing and the crowd is in a festive mood. Then, towards the end, comes a small group holding a sign representing the Tea Party. I have heard of a block party, house party and even a Tupperware party, but Tea Party? Then it dawned on me: this is that obstructionist group with a political agenda. But it’s the St. Patrick’s parade. Should I have to think about this group of angry people pushing their politics when I am enjoying this fine day? It’s bad enough that we have to put up with it in our political process, but not today.

I thought the parade was to be void of politics and political statements. At least I did not want to deal with it on such an event. Oh well. A pint of Guinness and this too shall pass, but wait until Monday.

Sid Tanenbaum, who lived in Woodmere and owned a metal-stamping shop in Far Rockaway, where he was known more for his charitable ways than his two-handed set shot, has been honored for the past 30 years with a basketball tournament that raises scholarship money for students in the Five Towns.